Union says workers will not be able to appeal against unfair dismissal under new public sector laws

Updated
Wed 23 Oct 2013, 8:03 PM AEDT

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Colin Barnett says once someone has been let go, the decision is final.

ABC News

The Community and Public Sector Union has criticised the State Government's public sector legislation, saying workers will not be able to appeal against dismissals.

The Government today introduced legislation to Parliament that would make it easier to make the positions of public servants redundant.

The Premier Colin Barnett has argued the laws are similar to those used in other states.

The CPSU's Toni Walkington says the legislation is unfair as public servants will not be able to appeal against any redundancies.

"What we're seeing is a piece of legislation that will give the Government the power to sack people," she said.

"People won't have any redress, [they] will have no appeal rights.

Mr Barnett says public servants who have been made redundant are entitled to challenge the amount of money they have received in their payout and the fairness of the redundancy process.

He says they would also be able to challenge any unfair dismissals, and be re-instated if an employer was found to have misused the provisions.

But the Premier says once someone has been declared genuinely redundant after all relevant processes, they cannot be re-instated.

Mr Barnett says it is the same process that occurs in the private sector.

"If they are deemed redundant because they cannot be gainfully employed, there is not a job available for them, then it's not a proper thing that the taxpayer continues to employ people who cannot be properly employed in the public sector."

The Government has called on Labor to support the bill but the Opposition Leader Mark McGowan says the legislation does not have enough safeguards in place.

"So, if we tick off on that, you could say that's ticking off on a blank cheque, and I'm very reluctant to tick off on a blank cheque," he said.

Mr McGowan says Labor has not yet formed an official position on the legislation.